Waiting
by Smoltenica
Summary: Magician's Nephew fic. When Jadis has entered London and is harassing its citizens, Polly is at home, facing her parents...
1. At Home

**Waiting**

The tunnel really wasn't that bad- in fact, if she could choose between this place and Charn, Polly would have chosen the tunnel a hundred times over. How comforting those dark walls were! How friendly the roof! There was no glow of red, no dying sun- no hammer, no bell- no witch. A part of her wished to stay there and rest.

Of course, there was her mother to think of. Oh, her mother would be furious no matter what happened!

_Lie! _A voice in her head urged her, and she was shocked. She could do no such thing! She must tell the truth!

As she emerged from the tunnel into the attic of her own house, she saw a long skirt.

Slowly, she raised her eyes.

"Where have you been, Polly?" asked a white-faced woman, her voice painfully sweet, but shaking with suppressed anxiety. "It is not like my daughter to be late for dinner."

"I'm sorry, Mother," said Polly, and scrambled up. The water dripped from her stockings to the floor. Suddenly she felt very cold, and sneezed.

"Where have you been?" shrieked her mother, suddenly very concerned. "Child, you'll catch a cold! Betsey!"

Betsey rushed upstairs. "Yes, ma'am?" she asked.

"For heavens' sakes, look at Polly! Light the fire in the drawing room, bring a cup of tea, make yourself _useful!" _

Betsey scurried away, and Polly meekly followed her mother to the drawing room, the water sloshing in her shoes.

"Sit," her mother ordered, and Polly sat by the armchair near the fireplace. A small fire was already crackling, and Polly stared at the tiny embers of red. They were a similar shade to the sun in Charn.

She shivered.

"Richard!"

Polly winced as her father entered the room. He took a long look at her, and raised his eyebrows. She bowed her head in shame.

"What on _earth _have you been doing?" he said in wonderment, and shook his head before she could answer.

_Oh! _Thought Polly. _I've only been forced into another world by Digory's horrid uncle, I've only been harassed into entering Charn, I've only been laughed at by Digory- who struck the bell and the hammer like a silly idiot- I've only been scorned, been abused by the horrid Witch- I've only seen the end of a world, I've only had to endure hours of hell!_

Said Polly: "I've been out with Digory Kirke."

"Digory Kirke?"

"Our neighbour, mother," Polly explained, attempting to look hopeful and innocent. Oh, if they should find out where she'd been it would be horrible! They mustn't know of the Witch, they mustn't! She couldn't lie, but oh- how could she tell them?

"What have you been doing, Polly?" said her father. His voice was low and grave, and she felt incredibly ashamed of herself, although she could not fully understand why. "Your stockings and shoes are dirtying the floor."

"Poor Betsey," moaned her mother, "she cleaned the carpet this morning!"

"I… I got my feet wet in a pool of water," said Polly, guiltily.

"A pool of water?"

It was more of a statement than a question, but it was a statement requiring an answer, nonetheless. This, Polly knew well, and she writhed at the thought.

The wall opposite her was really very nice, when you thought of it. Perhaps if it were painted a pretty shade of yellow it should be even nicer. Perhaps-

"How did you know I was in the box-room attic, Mother?" she asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Do not change the topic, Polly!" snapped her mother. "Where was this pool of water?"

"It was in a wood," said Polly, quite truthfully. "I have no idea where, though."

"A wood," mused her father. Suddenly, he became quite stern. "Could this wood have been in a nearby park?"

"… Perhaps," said Polly, again quite truthfully. "I really don't know where it was. It may have been a sort of a park, though."

"Good heavens!" gasped her mother. "A park- Polly, you've been wondering off to some part of London you didn't know- you didn't tell anyone- and you've gone into strange parks and amused yourself by jumping into puddles? Polly! You have been an exceedingly naughty girl, and I do not want you to ever play with that Kirke boy anymore, especially if an outrage like this occurs again!"

Not to play with Digory!

"But-"

"No buts! That Kirke boy has been having a very bad effect on you, ever since the two of you became acquainted!"

"That Kirke boy has a name," snapped Polly. "He's Digory."

"Polly, you have disappointed us," said her father heavily.

"You will go to your room for two hours and consider all that you have done wrong today," said her mother coolly. "Betsey-" for Betsey had entered the room with the cup of tea- "you will see to it that she gets her dinner."

"Yes, ma'am," said Betsey, and curtsied. (She did not miss Polly's wet stockings or shoes, or the wet patch on the carpet, and was feeling rather sorry for herself and vindictive towards Polly.)

"Polly?" repeated her mother, and Polly sighed and looked upwards.

"Yes, Mother?"

"I expect not to hear a single noise from your room. Go."

As Polly trudged to her room, she paused at the door and looked at the grandfather clock in the hallway.

The second hand seemed to take an age to move.

_Oh, _she thought piteously, _how slowly time can go by!_

The sound of a cab trotted by the house, and Polly looked miserably outside.

Footsteps sounded towards her, and she quickly hurried into her room and shut the door.

And wondered what Digory was doing.

XXX

_A/N: So… it seems like I'm working through all of CSL's female characters, doesn't it? Actually, I think that is what I'm doing. Oh dear. Well, I hope you liked it, at any rate! (But even if you didn't, leave a review, etc, etc...)  
_


	2. Waiting

Polly looked glumly at the tray. It was dinner, all right- with all the nice bits cut out.

"_Mind ye eat ye dinner, miss," Betsey said, curtseying. _

"_Thankyou, Betsey." _

"_That will do, Betsey. I will collect her when her two hours are up." _

Her mother would be furious if she didn't eat. With a sigh, she picked up the knife and fork and began eating. The meat was dry in her mouth without the gravy to soften the taste.

Two hours! Two wretched hours!

_It's all Digory's fault. If he hadn't hit the bell with that blasted hammer, none of this would have happened! He was the one who stayed back in the woods long enough for the witch to grab onto my hair! It's his fault! _

But it did no good to lay all the blame at Digory's feet. They'd called it pax, anyway, and he was probably feeling rotten at the moment. After all, wasn't the witch in his house? Or had the cab already arrived?

_No! _

The cab couldn't come, it couldn't! She peered out the window. Everything seemed normal, but how long would that last?

_Tick… tock…_

For a moment, she was almost glad that Digory was getting what he deserved, but she checked herself. It wasn't his fault that the witch had been awakened- how was he to know what would happen?

"Boys," she muttered. "They always have to try something, they won't listen to reason or logic at all."

She fleetingly glanced at the clock on her table. Oh, only ten minutes had passed!

_Nearly two hours left!_

She writhed at the thought.

When it was over, though, she could go to Digory's and everything would be fine. Somehow they'd get the witch out of London- what had she done by now? Polly didn't even want to think of it.

Digory would tell her, though. Once her two hours were spent, she would go over, and-

"_I forbid you to play with that Kirke boy!" _

Should she tell Mother? She must see Digory again, she must! She had to! They knew about the witch, he was the only who could help get her out!

_Tick… tock… _

"Polly, are you in bed?"

She quickly scrambled under the covers.

"Yes, Mother," she called, as her mother entered the room.

_Tick… tock… _

Her mother walked in, looking rather tired.

"You gave us a terrible fright today, Polly," she said.

"I'm sorry, Mother," Polly replied honestly. "I didn't think of what I was doing- I'll be more careful next time."

_I don't want to go to Charn again, at any rate, and I never want to touch those hideous rings again- though I will have to. But I will be more careful._

Her mother sighed.

"I will talk to you when your two hours are over," she sighed. "You have disappointed me, Polly. I thought you more responsible than that."

Polly squirmed under the covers. "I'm very sorry, Mother," she said, and she felt it. "I didn't mean to disappoint you."

Her Mother looked at her and paused. "I will let you be for the next two hours."

Then she left.

"Two more hours, Betsey," she called.

Polly writhed. Two _more _hours on top of the ten minutes that had already passed! Oh, this was torture! 

_Tick… tock…_

There wasn't that much time left. The witch would somehow get loose- when that wretched cab came, or possibly even sooner- and who knew what havoc she would stir? Polly needed to leave her room; she needed to see Digory- they needed to make the witch leave. London was chaotic enough without a strange, evil- yes, evil woman- and from a different world!

And her mother wouldn't let her!

_Tick… tock… _

But then, she reasoned, as she choked down the last morsel of food, her mother was prone to certain outbursts, and she didn't always mean them. She had once forbidden Polly from skating, yet that same winter (just a fortnight after the incident), she had bought Polly a new pair of skates, and they had glided around, hand in hand.

There was an hour and forty minutes left.

The clock hands were mesmerising in their slow movement.

_Tick… tock… tick… tock… _

What was the witch doing now? What was _Digory _doing now? What had his foolish uncle gotten up to?

_Tick… tock… _

She would be very good, she decided. She would be quiet, and sorrowful, repentant for what she had done- and if her mother wouldn't let her go see Digory, she would sneak out of the house of her own accord. This punishment she was receiving was surely enough to continue to punish her if she did something else naughty, wasn't it?

Something in her thought that that bit of logic was a little twisted, and she flushed a little out of shame. She shouldn't keep lying to her parents.

But at the same time, she couldn't very well tell them the truth!

_Tick… tock… _

No, she thought, possibly her father was kinder; _he _would let her see Digory again without asking what she wished to do. He would remind her of what she shouldn't do- run around in strange parks for one- but he would let her go. And Mother always listened to Father.

Only an hour and fifteen minutes left.

-

Over the next hour and fifteen minutes, Polly stared at the ceiling and tossed and turned. She had borne this punishment before- it was rather common a punishment- but never before had time seemed to pass so slowly!

_Digory, what are you doing? Where is the witch? Are you safe? _

Digory couldn't answer her, though. And she was still stuck in her room until the time was up. Oh!

_Tick… tock…_

She could hear a commotion outside, and longed to leave her bed- but suppose Betsey were outside and caught her? She would be in even more trouble than before!

_Is it the witch?_

Oh no, had the cab come? She had to be stopped! No one would know how to deal with her- Polly wasn't even sure what she should do if she saw the witch again, she had been one of the first to see her!

_The rings._

Had she even thought that? Impossible. She didn't want to use them again- but what if she had to? It might be the only way to get the witch out of London.

Digory would have thought of it, too.

It seemed the only way.

The shouts were getting louder.

"Polly?"

"Yes, Mother?"

She fairly leapt out of bed.

Her mother entered, seemingly calm. How could she not be aware of what was going on outside?

But- "There is trouble brewing outside, child. I would rather you stayed in the house, but your father believes that you have learned your lesson."

"I will be, Mother," said Polly.

Oh, what was happening? She needed to know! And she would be careful- God help her, she would be careful.

But her mother seemed in no hurry to leave. Instead, she sat at the foot of Polly's bed.

"I am sorry to have been so harsh earlier today," she said calmly. "I should not have forbidden you to play with- with-" here she furrowed her brow, as though attempting to remember Digory's name.

"Digory?" Polly supplied helpfully, trying to keep the urgency and stress from her voice. Heaven forbid if her mother should find out!

"Yes, that's it… Digory," her mother continued. "I will not forbid you from playing with him-" Polly's heart leapt- "- but if you continue with such displays, I will have nothing to conclude except that he is a bad influence."

"Yes, Mother," said Polly, obediently.

"Your punishment is over now," concluded her mother, and, with a stately air, she swept out of the room.

Polly leapt to her feet, and fairly ran from the house. She had work to do.

As she quickly crept over, she saw the Witch holding a lamppost, hitting and hurling people across the street.

_Heaven help me. _

For a moment, before she reached Digory's side, she almost wished she'd stayed in her room.

_A/N: And here, finally, is the second chapter, in which I hope to explain Mrs Plummer just a little more. I'm sorry if it doesn't live up to what anyone may/may not have hoped for, but even if it doesn't, just leave a review stating why. Every word is taken in consideration! God bless. _


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